Donald Trump said he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and claims he’ll be able to make a deal to end the brutal war with Russia.
‘I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelensky quite quickly,’ Trump predicted during remarks to the press at Trump Tower Thursday.
‘I believe I can work that out,’ Trump said. ‘It’s not my fight, but it is a fight to save humanity.’
At the same time, Trump complained about the U.S. burden in funding Ukraine’s defense. ‘They should be equalizing. They should start paying up,’ Trump said.
Although the U.S. has sent billions in military aid, Europe has now overtaken the U.S. in commitments of support, according to the Kiel Institute.
‘I see what’s happening there is very, very sad,’ Trump said. He also disputed Vice President Kamala Harris’ comment blasting proposals that would have Ukraine relinquish territory to the invading Russians.
‘Let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender,’ said Harris.
‘It’s not a surrender,’ said Trump when asked about the criticism. His planned meeting with Zelensky comes after Trump’s GOP allies complained parts of his trip amounted to ‘election interference,’ a widening partisan split over Ukraine.
‘Putin never, ever even thought about going in, and it was the apple of his eye,’ Trump said, referencing the 2022 invasion, which came after Russia invaded the Donbas region in 2014.
He said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘had a very good relationship, despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax,’ he said, referencing the Russia probe.
Asked by a reporter whether Ukraine should turn over some of its own land to end the war, Trump responded, ‘We’ll see what happened.’
‘Let’s get some peace. We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction. Don’t you think?’ he concluded.
Trump’s confirmation of a meeting came shortly after he posted on X about Zelensky seeking a meeting with him, in just the latest communication between the two men to go public in a complex relationship.
Trump has long defended the ‘perfect’ 2019 call he had with Zelensky where Trump asked him to ‘look into’ allegations about Hunter Biden and asked him for a ‘favor’ by investigating the 2016 election that featured in his first impeachment.
The message, which Trump posted without explanation, is titled ‘Denys Sienik, Deputy Ambassador of Ukraine, and is signed simply ‘Volodymyr.’
‘Dear Donald, I hope you’re doing well,’ it says, referencing a ‘really good phone call.’
The leader whose country is fighting off a Russian invasion and references a request for a meeting between the two men in New York. It defends his view in a ‘just peace’ and says ‘I always speak with great respect about everything connected to you.’
Trump dropped the message just as Zelensky was appearing with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.
Trump will sit down with his former phone mate at a time when his allies in the Republican Senate are fuming over Zelensky’s recent trip to Pennsylvania, where the Ukrainian leader appeared with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and signed 155mm ammunition that a U.S. factory is sending to defend his country.
‘Zelensky is openly campaigning for Democrats in battleground Pennsylvania today some 50 days out from our Presidential election. Unreal,’ posted GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt (Mo.)
House Speaker Mike Johnson, another Trump ally, said the move was ‘designed to help Democrats’ and said it was ‘election interference.’
Zelensky in an interview with the New Yorker called Vance ‘too radical’ and said ‘The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable.’
Trump at his debate with Harris dodged the question when asked directly whether he wanted Ukraine to win its war against Russia. ‘I want the war to stop. I want to save lives,’ Trump said.
And on Wednesday, at a rally in North Carolina, Trump said Ukraine should have ‘given up a little bit.’
‘We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky,’ Trump said.
Zelensky also met with President Biden to discuss his ‘victory plan,’ and the U.S. announced new moves to push billions of military aid to Kiev before the end of the year, after Congress failed to enact new authority.
Biden on Thursday announced plans to send $8 billion in additional U.S. aid to Ukraine. But he has resisted Ukraine’s request to be able to fire U.S.-made missiles deeper inside Russia.